minck



2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

J4 1/w/wbo z 1 116671 662W Maze/1.

1-". W. MINCK. APPARATUS FOR INDIOATING THE PLEXURB 0? CAR SPRINGS.

No Model.)

WMWW E W@ B A A D N. FETERs. Photo-Lithographer Waihlngkm, 11c,

a him/wow (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. W. MINCK. APPARATUS FOR INDIUATING THE FLEXURE 0F GAR SPRINGS.

No. 324,949. Patented Augr25, 1885.

v w. 1' w m 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- FRIEDRICH \VILHELM MINOK, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE FLEXURE OF CAR-SPRINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,949, dated August 25, 1885.

Application filed October 10, 1884.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnlnnnron \VILHELM MINoK, a citizen of Austria,residing at Vienna, Austria-Hungary, civil engineer, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lead- Regulators and Flex Lire-Indicators for Freight- Car Springs, which are fully set forth and described in the following specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for indicating the amount of flexure admissible in the springs of railway-car trucks when loaded to the amount which they are designed to carry, and for detecting and preventing the overloading of cars of all descriptions upon railways.

My invention accomplishes the following three objects: first, it indicates the flexure of the springs; second, it indicates whether or not the springs possess the necessary tensile strength to support the load which the car is designed to carry; and, third, it indicates at any particular moment whether or not the car is overloaded.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the indicator; Fig. 2, an elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical cross-section of the snne on the line'A' B of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, an elevation of the same, showing its application to the longitudinal frame of a railway-ear.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is a cylindrical box, of cast-iron or other suitable metal, of any convenient diameter, which is attached to the outer side of the 1011- gitudinal frame of the car Z, at a point di rectl y over the center of the truck-springs, by means of bolts Z) b, Fig. 3, or in any otherconvenient manner. In the interior of this box, through an opening, 0, in its side walls, there slides a vertical hollow toothed rack, B, gearing into cogwheel, E, rotating upon a horizontal axis, f, Fig. 3, supported on a stationary bracket or arm J, 01' the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 8, attached by the screws 8 a to the back of the cylindrical box A. The shaft or axis f carries a second gear-wheel, F, rotating with it, playing into the gear-wheel G, rotating on the axis g, supported on a similar bearing or bracket, J, and attached by the screws 8 s, as shown in Fig. 1, to the back of the cylindrical box A in manner similar to the bracket J. The wheel G gears in turn into a third gear-wheel, G, rotating upon the axis H, Fig. 3, placed in the center of the box A, and supported upon the stationary bracket J, arranged and secured by screws 8 s. The lower portion of the rack B is hollow, being drilled out, as shown in Fig. 1, to contain the carefullyfitted prolonging piece D, which is arranged to slide upward'and downward in the rack B, and is held therein at any desirable position by the holdingserew '0, which can be released or made fast by turning the screwhead with a screw-driver.

Q is a circular metal cover or disk fitting over the box A, and attached thereto by the screws q, as shown in Fig. 3. This cover contains a semicircular slot, S S, as shown in Fig. 2, in which there is fitted a sliding button, T, capable of being moved from side to side in the slot, and of being fastened at any desired point by means of the thumbserew t, Fig. 3.

The axis H carries at its extremity, which projects through a circular opening in the center of the plate Q, an index-finger, K, made fast thereto by means of the screw L, which indexfinger rotates with the shaft H and pinion-wheel G. The cover Q also con tains a vertical slot, 1?, with agraduated vcr tical scale, P, placed at one side thereof, as shown in Fig. 2, and the rack 13 carries ahorizontal arm, N, Fig. 1, moving vertically in the slot P, surmounted by a stationary indexarrow, 0, moving with the same, by means of which the vertical movement of the rack B is registered upon the graduated scale.

The box A is covered by a glass plate, U, placed in a tightly-fitting frame, A, mounted upon the hinge (iv and fastened by the thumbscrew V, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the same can be opened upon the hinge at pleasure.

To prevent tampering with the screw c after the rack has been adjusted and while the car is being loaded, a metal cap, \V, made in two sections and hinged together, as shown in the various views, is placed over the extremity of the rack B at the point where the screw is situated.

The two sections of the cap are provided with ring-shaped ears X and Y, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, fitting over each other, and through their openings is placed a piece of wire, the ends of which are fastened by the usual form of metallic seal used for fastening the doors of freight-ears.

M is a plug or stopper placed in the rack B to prevent the vertical motion of the rack downward to such an extent that its teeth would become disengaged from those of the gear-wheel I), the rack ceasing to move when the stopper comes in contact with the side walls of the box A. Lateral motion of the rack is prevented by the lat holding-piece O, fastened to the box A by the screws 0 c.

The wheels G, G, 1* and F are of such relative dimensions and are so geared that when the prolonging piece I) and the rack 13 are drawn down as far as possible the indexlinger R will stand opposite the right-hand extremity of the slot S, which is the zero-point.

The method of operating the apparatus is as follows: It is first desirable to [ix upon the dial-plate the normal point to which the car may be loaded. For this purpose the prolonging piece D is drawn down, as shown in Fig. 4-, until it rests upon the spring-cap It. The screw 2; is then made tight, and the car is then loaded with the amount which it is designed to carry. The weight of the load will immediately cause the car-body to sink and force down the extremities of the springs, and at the same time the rack to risein the box A as the same sinks with the car-body, and the index-linger to assume a fixed position. This position will then represent the point to which the trucks may beloaded. The thumb-screw t is released, the button T moved in the slot to a point opposite to the extremity of the index-linger, and made fast there.

In loading a car on subsequent occasions the prolonging piece is each time first drawn outtill it rests upon the spring-cap, and so adjusted and made last as before. The car is then loaded until the indexfinger K comes opposite to the button T, which is the limit to which the car may be loaded.

During the operation of loading the car the flexure of the spring constantly increases, and the spring-cap It remaining stationary while the car and the indicator sink, the flexure of the spring, which is the depression of the two ends of the spring from their relative position to the holding-point at the center, when loaded,will be indicated by the Vertical depression of the car-body, which is equivalent to the rise of the rack 13 in the box A and distance traversed by the arrow 0 upon the scale I. As the spring becomes more and more flexible in time, it is desirable to change, from time to time, the point of normal loading indicated by the button T; hence the button is made movable, as above described. After the car has been loaded, the screw 1) is I'JIOZISCCI, the extensioirpieee I) pushed up and fastened by the screw r, and the end of the rack secured by the cap and seal, as before, the apparatus assuming then theposition shownin Fig. 3. It will also be apparent that when it is desired to test the strength ofthetruck-springs, to ascertain whether the same have become impaired, it is simply necessary to load the car with the load which it is desired to carry, and if the index-finger passes the button upon the dial-plate it is evident that the springs have become weal; and incapable of support ing the load with safety.

I claim as my invention 1. In a flexure-indicator for car-springs, the combination, substantially as hcreinbefore described,with the car-frame and the causpring, of a hollow rack sliding vertically in fixed guides upon the car-frame, and provided with an adjustable extension-piece sliding in its hollow exterior,whereby the same may be extended to touch upon the ear-spring, and means,

substantially as described, for indicating the flexure of the springs during loading by the movement of the car-frame in reference to the rack.

2. In a flexure-indicator for ear springs, the combination, substantially as hcreiubcforc described, with the car-frame Z and the carspring It, of the cylindrical box A, having the dial-plate Q, provided with the slot 1, and the graduated scale I, attached to the canframe, the hollow rack B, sliding vertically in fixed guides in said box over the center of the spring t, provided with the adj ustable extension-piece D in its hollow interior, the adjusting and holding screw r, whereby the same may be extended to rest upon the car-spring, and the arrow 0 upon the rack 13, for indicating the tlexure ofthe spring upon the scale I.

3. In an apparatus for regulating the loading ofrailway-cars, the hercinbcfore-described combination, with the car-frame Z and the carspring 1%, of the cylindrical box A, provided with the dial-plate Q and the semicircular slot S, secured to said car frame, the hollow toothed rack 13, sliding vertically in fixed guides in said box over the center of the earspring, the train of gear-wheels G, H, and G", rotating in said box, engaging with the rack B and with each other, the index-finger K, rotating with the gear-wheel G over the dial plate Q, the adjustable extension -piece D in the hollow rack 13, provided with the adjusting and holding screw 7) and the hinged protecting-cap 10, whereby the rack may be extended to rest upon the car-spring, and the adjustable button T in the slot S, for indicating the maximum point of loading.

4-. In an apparatus for regulating the loading of railway-cars and indicating the 'llexnrc of the springs, the hereinbefore described combination, with the carframe Z and the car-spring It, of the cylindrical box A, provided with the dial-plate Q, the slots 1 and S, and the graduated scale I, attached to the car-frame, the hollow toothed rack 13, sliding vertically in fixed guides in said box over the IIO center of the car spring, the train of gear and the arrow 0 upon the rack B, for indiwheels G, G, and G, rotating in said box, en eating the flexui'e of the spring upon the gaging with the rack B and with each other, scale P. v

the indexfinger K, rotating with the gear- In testimony whereof I have signed this I 5 5 wheel G over the dial-plate Q, the adjustable specification in the presence of two subscribeXtension-piece D in the hollow rack B, proing witnesses.

vided with the adjusting and holding screw Q7,

\ and the hinged protecting-cap WV,Whereby the FRIEDRICH VILHELM MINOK' rack may be extended to rest upon the car- \Vitneeses:- 1o spring, the adjustable button '1 in the slot S, CLARENCE M. HYDE,

forindicating the maximum point of loading, J OHANN LURX, 0'. E. 

